


jingle bells

by snowyjeno



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Crack, M/M, Magical Realism, mall elf!jaemin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:49:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21591007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowyjeno/pseuds/snowyjeno
Summary: December’s holiday season and festivities brought along with it the promise of festive scheming and pranking by Lee Donghyuck.His latest "setup" involving best friend Lee Jeno may be his greatest hit yet.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	jingle bells

**Author's Note:**

> *thaumaturge: in the context of this fic, a thaumaturge refers to an ice wizard

December’s holiday season and festivities brought along with it the promise of festive scheming and pranking by Lee Donghyuck. In tow with him now is Lee Jeno, his long-term best friend and unfortunate victim of many of his pranks. The two aimlessly trod through an expansive mall, Christmas carols filling their ears and glowy fairy lights lighting up their every step. The mall was packed and busy, though Jeno didn’t mind. There was something about the ambience during the holiday season that always sprinkled excitement into Jeno’s soul, putting him into a merry and carefree spirit. 

The boys performed a duet of sorts as they began humming along to one of the songs playing aloud in the mall. Only within seconds did they abandon the idea to full on sing instead, Donghyuck grooving his shoulders and Jeno swaying his head as they harmonized. Before the last chorus of the song, Donghyuck abruptly stopped caroling. Jeno continued singing before quickly realizing that Donghyuck had halted. He playfully hit Donghyuck’s shoulder, calling him “unfair” in the process.

Donghyuck simply snickered before grabbing Jeno’s attention in a different way.

“What do you think about finding the love of your life in December? It would be a Christmas miracle of sorts, wouldn’t it? Especially when it comes to you, Mr. I’m-Doomed-To-Be-Single-For-Eternity.” 

Jeno sniggered. “It would sure be a miracle alright. What made you ask, though? I’m not seeing anyone.”

“I _obviously_ know you’re not seeing anyone, Lee Jeno. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that much out. But-” Donghyuck seemed to have a place in mind as he eyed the mall ahead of them, walking slightly faster.

“True love can spring up upon you at any given instant, yes?” Donghyuck didn’t wait for Jeno to answer, instead grabbing his arm to usher Jeno to stride quicker.

“And so I was thinking, I have a pretty good idea of your ‘type’. I’ve known you for long enough to know someone that absolutely would not be compatible with you, and someone that has a smidgen of a chance of being compatible with you. Interestingly enough, I know someone that even _I_ think can put up with you. I think you two would be a perfect match, and that was calculated with the fact in mind that you’re quite possibly the farthest thing from ‘perfect’ there is.”

Despite rolling his eyes, Jeno had a grin on his face as he said, “Oh, fuck off. Is it someone from your government class? Or is it a stranger you ran into once and never saw again?” Jeno was skeptical about what Donghyuck considered his ‘perfect match’, and it was only sensible to be so. For all Jeno knew, his best friend could be pulling another stunt of his. Or, even worse, he could be trying to get Jeno’s hopes up to only have them fall terribly, miserably short.

Donghyuck carefully looked at the fenced square space just ahead of them, Santa and his elves busy at work as they roamed around the area. 

“Heh, you’d be surprised to know it’s someone from my Modern Dance class. Hell, we’ve been getting closer as the semester progressed. We even got shitfaced together right before midterms season.” 

Jeno looked unconvinced and even slightly put off. 

“ _Wait_ , shit, that sounds bad. He’s not heavy into that stuff, it was just exam stress peaking. Jeno, I swear he’s not an alcoholic. He actually doesn’t really like drinking at all. Even I was surprised how much he drank that night. The next day, he texted me saying ‘it wasn’t his smartest idea. 0/10 would never even consider doing again.’”

Jeno looked more relaxed, although still far from convinced or even interested.

“He’s sweet, sickeningly sweet, changes hobbies as often as The Weather Channel, and might as well run a fucking restaurant with the cooking skills of his. He makes _actual_ gourmet food, Jeno. It’s almost unbelievable.”

Donghyuck tugged on Jeno’s arm, pulling him to the side. 

“You see that pink-haired elf over there?” Jeno searched in the general direction Donghyuck was gazing at before nodding, eyes set on a fluffy mass of ~~cotton candy~~ pink.

“That’s game. If you can successfully ask him if you can ‘jingle his bell’, I’ll give you 20 bucks on the spot.” Donghyuck had enough decency to show Jeno a lopsided grin.

“Hyuck, that’s _weird_. He’s gonna be so put off by that, not to mention the fact that that’s just so messed up.” Although Jeno was drawn in by the prospect of easily and quickly earning $20, he was still a man of morals and conscientiousness. Money couldn’t break him that easily.

“Don’t you see the jingle bell at the end of his little elf hat? You’re asking to jingle that, Jeno, not his dick. If he takes it that way-” Donghyuck shrugged “-that’s on him.”

Jeno sighed. “I hate you, I really do. Is that the guy that is my supposed perfect match?”

Donghyuck’s face instantly perked up. “Why, I thought you’d never ask! Yes, that’s him, Na Jaemin. Soon to be champion of this icy fella’s icy heart.” Donghyuck patted Jeno’s back enthusiastically, probably with more vigor than was necessary.

“ _Champion my ass_ ,” Jeno muttered, moreso out of annoyance towards Donghyuck than Jaemin.

“Alrighty then, what’s the catch?” Jeno knew Donghyuck for long enough to know that if the latter offered something pleasant, there was a price to be paid in one way or another. It _keeps the balance of things that way_ , Donghyuck had once said.

Donghyuck showed his teeth as he said, “Don’t tell him you were dared. Not when you greet him, not when you leave him. You can’t tell him it was a dare until at least 24 hours.”

Jeno groaned. “You’re the absolute worst, Hyuck. When I get out of there, you better have my twenty ready.”

“Of course.”

Jeno cautiously approached the square “den”, noticing children stumbling around as they let out sounds of glee. It came as no surprise that children were hyper in this section of the mall, candy being given out by Santa himself and his dear little elves. Tentatively, Jeno made steps toward the pink-haired elf, only to find himself in a line behind three children. He felt foolish and embarrassed all at once, turning around to lock eyes with Donghyuck and giving him a meaningful frown. Donghyuck merely laughed in the background, completely unbothered by Jeno’s mortification. 

Before Jeno realized it, he was at the front of the line, face to face with the prettiest elf that he had ever seen. 

“Hi there!” the elf chirped, casting Jeno a delightful smile. “What’s on your Christmas wishlist?”

Without thinking, Jeno blurted out, “A boyfriend… Wait! That’s not what I meant.” Jeno laughed nervously. He shook his head before continuing, “That’s not what I meant at all. Sorry. That’s probably the craziest wish you’ve heard all day.”

The elf didn’t seem fazed in the slightest; if anything, his smile had grown even wider, if that were possible. 

“In that case, you’d be surprised to hear the wishes for infinite riches and mythical creatures I’ve been hearing about. I think that your wish is certainly realistic.” 

Jeno’s look of surprise ushered Jaemin to speak more.

“Your wish doesn’t have the naivety that is to be expected of children’s wishes. It also doesn’t have the greed that fills some adult’s wishes so much so that they become consumed by it. Your wish is pure and plausible.”

Jeno didn’t realize that an elf could hold such wisdom, starstruck by Jaemin’s words. He was also vaguely intrigued by whether the words coming out of the elf’s mouth were _allowed_ , as he worked under Santa himself and yet didn’t seem too concerned by possibly ending up on his Naughty List.

“Didn’t know that Santa’s elves come up with film dialogues during their free time,” Jeno joked, smiling at Jaemin warmly. “Thank you for your words, you’re very kind.”

“My words came out of sincerity, not kindness. I hope you will think about that and take it home with you.” The elf smiled at Jeno, a promise behind his lips that Jeno didn’t quite catch. He bent down, reaching his arm into a ginormous gift box before pulling out a candy cane adorned with a red ribbon and an inexpensive, deep red ruby at the center of the ribbon. 

“Oops, I’m doing this out of order,” Jaemin sheepishly said, looking at Jeno apologetically. Out of confusion, Jeno didn’t say anything. Instead, he watched as Jaemin picked up a clipboard, pretending to skim through a list of names on Santa’s Nice List before exclaiming, “Aha! I see here that you’ve been nice, kiddo! Those that are jolly get rewarded similarly. Here you are, precious.” Jaemin handed Jeno the candy cane before placing the clipboard back on its table. 

Although it was obviously scripted, Jeno felt uplifted by being called _precious_ by the prettiest elf, no, prettiest person he had ever seen. 

"Thank you." 

Neither boy looked ready for their interaction to end, and it was only then that Jeno remembered Donghyuck's ~~money~~ dare. 

'Fuck, I completely forgot. _Fuck_ , I have to take a chance right now or it was all a waste,' Jeno thought to himself. 

Mustering up courage he didn't know he had, Jeno cautiously asked, "Um, I know that this is a rather unusual request and that it makes absolutely no sense at all, but…," Jeno gulped before continuing, "can I… jingle your bell?"

Jeno couldn't read Jaemin's face no matter how hard he tried, a blank slate leaving him clueless. He was ready to back out and apologize and leave the poor elf alone, but all of this happened mere seconds before the elf finally spoke, grounding Jeno in a much appreciated way. 

"Are you a YouTuber?" 

Jeno gagged, eyes and mouth wide in disbelief. 

" _Huh?_ "

Jaemin peered at Jeno quizzically. "You're not some sort of YouTuber trying to get 'Santa's Little Elf Naughtily PRANKED' footage right now?"

Jeno’s body subconsciously retracted, the boy at a momentary loss for words and his mind muddled. After what he considered several unbearable seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

“No? I-I’m… I just wanted to see your reaction! I know that elves’ bells must not be brought up much during protocol meetings, so I was just messing around. Natural reactions are the best reactions, you know?” Jeno looked at Jaemin expectantly, hoping the latter would buy into his improvised story or at least pretend to, for Jeno’s sake. Surely by this point, the elf must have deduced that Jeno was off his rocker.

Jaemin only quirked his head to the side.

“That sounds exactly like something a YouTuber would say. You know, a coverup story for when they’ve been caught.”

Jeno shook his head frantically, a blush brought forth by mild panic beginning to bloom across his cheeks.

“I’m _really_ not a YouTuber. I just happened to be… oddly curious? Nonsensically curious. I’m sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have asked-”

“Are you a thaumaturge?” Jaemin abruptly asked.

Jeno was caught off guard by the question, to say the least. Not only did Jaemin redirect the flow of the conversation, but he also accurately guessed in which domain Jeno’s powers lay. Jaemin was continuously redefining Jeno’s notions of elves. 

If Jeno believed that elves were constantly busy and had a one-track mind, a certain keen and perceptive pink-haired elf could deflect that.

Jeno looked at Jaemin in wonder. 

“Yes, I am. How did you know?”

“I didn’t mean to judge your book by its cover, but you fit my archetype of thaumaturges. You have pale skin, lustrous hair, a sharp facial structure, and your eyes are piercing yet soft all at once. It’s the first thing I thought when I greeted you.”

“Ahh…” Jeno didn’t want to admit that his very first thought when he saw Jaemin was cotton candy, so he came up with a better solution instead. “Want to see some ice magic?”

Jaemin’s eyes lit up, a sunny smile settling onto his face.

“I would love to.”

Jeno extended an arm out, his palm facing upwards as a deep blue mist began swirling in the center of his palm. Within seconds, he conjured a snowglobe in which white reindeers with a red ribbon around their necks trotted in front of a white kingdom with pointed peaks. Snow fell to the bottom of the snowglobe at a gentle pace, turning into shimmering crystals and flakes before dissolving.

Jaemin was fascinated by the display.

“Wow, that’s amazing. It’s beautiful.”

Jeno looked at Jaemin before halting his magic, finding a bubbly smile directed towards himself.

“Thank you. My mind isn’t feeling very creative right now, otherwise I might’ve been able to show you something better.”

“No, no, I really liked that a lot. It was fun to see and very elegant. Elegance is lovely.” 

Jeno smiled at Jaemin bashfully. 

“Do you have any magic?”

“I do, but it’s not quite as flashy or interesting as yours. Mine’s is more along the line of flower power.” 

“No magic is boring magic in this world. Show me what you got,” Jeno encouraged. 

“Mind if I sacrifice your ruby?” Jaemin asked, pointing at the ruby on Jeno’s candy cane.

“Go ahead.”

Jeno handed him the candy cane, watching as Jaemin touched the jewel before it came out of its spot and began floating in the air, leaving an evaporating sparkly trail behind it as the elf guided its movements using a single finger. Suddenly, Jaemin splayed his hand out straight upwards, causing the ruby to float in a stationary spot in midair as the elf brought his hand down.

“What’s your favorite flower?” Jaemin inquired.

Jeno didn’t have an extensive knowledge of the variety of flowers that were out there, nor did he have a set favorite. He decided on voicing the first flower type that came to mind.

“Mm… gardenias?”

“You have good taste.”

Jeno simply smiled as Jaemin began working his magic. Pooling out of the elf’s hand was a ray of shimmering, golden light, directed at and being absorbed by the suspended gem. Within seconds, the ruby burst into a shower of flecks of the softest red, which somehow never touched the floor as they evaporated far above it. The twinkling specks pooled together before bursting and forming a bouquet of red gardenias. 

“Sorry about the color,” Jaemin said as he handed Jeno the bouquet. “Whatever the color of the object I use, that’s the color my flowers come out as.”

“That was incredible. Flower magic puts on such pretty shows.” Jeno smiled appreciatively as he took in the scent of the flowers. “These smell lovely.”

Jaemin beamed before glancing at the grandfather clock behind him. His eyes widened in shock and dread before he began muttering curses under his breath. Jeno could faintly make out an “oh _nooo_ ” before Jaemin turned to face him again, face packed with dejection.

“I lost track of time and didn’t realize we passed the set time limit we have for each guest. I don’t mean for things to end abruptly; it was my pleasure meeting you. However, Santa won’t be very happy if I don’t follow his rules.”

Jeno’s face fell. Not a single moment he had spent with Jaemin was dull.

“I completely understand! I don’t want to get in the way of your work. Thank you for your time, I had a very enjoyable experience.”

Jaemin chuckled, and Jeno couldn’t help but follow suit. 

“Say, this is rather unprofessional but, wanna talk some more sometime? Preferably when I’m off duty and known to the world as Jaemin instead of one of Santa’s silly little elves.”

Jeno smiled at Jaemin joyfully. 

“I think that’d be great. I’m Jeno, by the way. I’ll give you my number so that you don’t have to worry about professionalism.”

Jaemin suddenly smirked but it was gone in the blink of an eye. Jeno couldn’t be certain if he had imagined it or if the elf had really flashed him a sly grin.

❄

**unknown number**  
 _hey there jeno! it's the elf from the mall, jaemin. i owe you an explanation of sorts. for starters, i'm also one of donghyuck's friends. he told me he knew someone that would fit me better than all of the cilantro i fit into my meals. that was when he told me about you! he told me he'd bring you to the mall with him today and send you my way. fortunately for us, i saw you and hyuck before you approached me. that's when i knew that our encounter would be staged. hyuck had told me to "be prepared for anything" and so once you asked to "jingle my bell" ;) haha, i figured that's when the hyuck™ kicked in and decided to have a bit of fun myself._

 **unknown number**  
_whew, that message was getting long winded. anyways, hyuck told me that you were a manly man but he didn't warn me that you'd be sooooo cute!!_

**unknown number**  
_i just realized how late i sent these texts  
sleep well 🌸_

**Author's Note:**

> happy thanksgiving! i hope this holiday season is dazzling for all of you ❣


End file.
